Dance and Fashion in the Middle Ages

Dance and fashion in the middle ages

By Martha Stacchini and Emma Volpe

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FASHION

DANCE

Dance styles

DANCE

History of dance

Dance traditions

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Hair

Fabrics and colors

Women

Men

Fashion

History of dance

How much do we really know about medieval dance?

couples, processional, courtly

couples, processional, lively

couples, patterns, performance

The almain

The estampie

Dance styles

The carole

groups, circular, social

The basse dance

Number THREE

Number TWO

Dance traditions

Number ONE

#Stockings

Fabrics and colours

#Gloves#Boots

Fashion for men

#Cleavage#Bodice

Fashion for women

# Young

# Nuns # Widows

Hair

When dancing in a circle, you were meant to move in a clockwise direction, hence towards your left. But when couples started performing dances together, it is suggested that they started to turn anticlockwise when reaching the end of the room, turning to the left.

• “COME LET US MAKE A ROUND IN THE CAROLE”

The Romance of the Rose, Guillaume de Lorris

The carole

Pronunciation: Ca-role Date: Unknown start date, though it went out of fashion c. 1400 Where was it from?: Thought to be French

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The basse dance

Pronunciation: Bass-dance ​ Date: From mid-fourteenth century onwards, but most famous in fifteenth Where was it from?: Uncertain, but first evidence of the dance is from France Where was it performed and who performed it?: The basse dance was a measured and stately dance for the nobility and gentry at court. It was meant to show off their magnificence and grandeur.

The Almain

Pronunciation: Al-main ​ Date: Fourteenth century (could have existed in thirteenth century but no evidence of it in music) ​ Where was it from?: Germany ​ Also known as: Trotto (Germany), Saltarello Todesco (Italy, meaning German Saltarello), Allemande (general name adopted by many countries, meaning German dance) ​ Where was it performed and who performed it?: Although it was shared between the courts of Europe, it has often been thought of as a peasant dance due the lack of grace in the raising of the leg for the hops in the dance.

The estampie

Pronunciation: Eh-stamp-ee ​ Date: Estimated to come from some time between the mid-twelfth century and fourteenth century ​ Where was it from?: Provence, France (?) ​ Where was it performed and who performed it?: It seems to have been an outdoor dance (like the carole) but with the compact spacing associated with indoor dances. We know the Estampie was danced at least on some occasions and occasionally even at more stately affairs.

When partnered dances came into fashion, couples would have consulted the art of courtly love for advice. To be able to make any physical contact and begin dancing, the gentleman would first have to seek agreement from his partner through a reverence. This reverence was made up of three parts:Visus (to look) - using your eyes to convey respect Loqui (to speak) - asking if your partner is willing to dance, either verbally or (if particularly nervous) with the eyes Contactus (to touch) - offering your hand to dance

All known medieval dances started with the left foot and had a focus on the left-hand side. When dancing, the left should be associated with moving forward and the right with moving backwards. In circle dances, the leader is shown by having their left hand free.

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